Jan 5, 2011

Fire from Flint & Steel

CLICK HERE FOR LINK to a good article on starting fires from flint and steel. Please note that it is not the historically correct way, but it should work well as a starting point for the inexperienced.

2 comments:

Sorry, but this info on flint and steel fire lighting is not correct. A good attempt, but wrong information.This is not how it was originally done, and tow is NOT tinder. Charred cloth can be used as tinder, but generally it was only used in town houses, not in the wilderness. This author is confused between TINDER and KINDLING.Tinder that requires charring is charred directly in the fire and extinguished in the tinderbox. Fire is made from the tinderbox, and mostly it is plant tinders that are used.Sorry, I don't usually comment on peoples blogs when it is misinformation, I just post the correct info on my blog and mention no names. You are not I assume the author of this piece, so I felt moved to comment.For more info please feel free to search my blog at: http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/Or check out my book at:http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/tablelandsIf anyone has any questions they think I can help with I will be only too pleased to help if I can.Regards, Le Loup.

I appreciate Le Loup's comments and he is correct in what he said about this is not how it was originally done, but this article was not aimed at a person with his experience & knowledge. I believe it was meant to provide a reliable method for starting fires with flint & steel for the inexperienced. After all, they didn't have electric hot plates in the old days to cook char cloth. :-) I know Le Loup just wants help out and provide historically correct information - so if he would be so kind to provide additional articles on starting fires the historically correct way, then I'd be more than happy to post them.